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New vision unfolding for Buckhead's skyline

Kate Carter Industry Focus Editor

From the January 20, 2006 print edition
Buckhead is scraping the skies.

Cranes abound above what some call Atlanta's ritziest suburb, as plans for mid- and high-rise mixed-use construction projects come to fruition. From Cousins Properties Inc.'s Terminus, which will anchor the corner of Peachtree Street and Piedmont Road, to the recently announced St. Regis, Atlanta, a hotel and condominium development that will be built at 100 West Paces Ferry, developers are bullish on Buckhead.

Meanwhile, Scotty Greene, executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, said that after more than a decade of planning, work on the first phase of Peachtree Boulevard will begin as early as next month.

The more than $10 million project includes intersection redesign, landscaped medians and enhanced safety features for pedestrians and bikers. And although Buckhead leaders say traffic congestion will certainly worsen during the construction, they maintain the end product is more than worth it.

Sam Massell, Buckhead Coalition president, cited 21 developments
in progress on the Peachtree corridor in Buckhead, including 10 condominium projects.

"Although Buckhead has long had prominent occupants in this area, it appears the smart money has just discovered gold along this ridge," Massell writes.

The Buckhead community also is rallying around the cleanup of Buckhead Village, the area near the intersection of Peachtree Street, West Paces Ferry and Roswell Road.

Although leaders contend there still is much work to do to fix the infrastructure of vacant structures that used to house bars, they
are starting to see a few upscale retail projects come on line.